PsL Monthly 1993 December

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Text File | 1993-10-04 | 12.2 KB | 326 lines

U1-07: File Cataloging --------------------------- #1148 File Catalog Programs Small Programs Disk --------------------------- 1148 File Description Listers ----------------------------- These are programs that like sorted directory listers or file managers whose main reason for being is to let you save file descriptions right in the directory so that you can see them the next time you use the program to view the directory. Frankly, the program Taxi (disk #2744) does the best job of this, in our opinion, but the following programs each have somewhat different approaches which other people may prefer. CDir (CDIR-KC) Curtis, C. Kenneth $0 DirNotes (DIRNOTE) Mefford, Michael J. $0 (note: this program appears not to work with subdirectories that have numbers in the name.) FileNotes 1.6 (FILENTS) RSE, Inc. $25 is a 26k TSR which allows you to easily attach 160 character pop-up notes to your filenames. You can also view, delete, rename and tag copy files as well as change drives and directories. What 2.14 Newell, Bill $15 What2 1.3 Ross, Kevin $? XDir Weinstein, Iram J. ASP $25 1148 Disk File Cataloging ------------------------- DCAT 3 Deakin, John $0 is a floppy disk file catalog program. It will not read hard disks, but it will read subdirectories. MaxCat 1.1 Burgstahler, Max $20 is full featured diskette cataloging utility which creates a searchable index using volume labels. Comments can be added to entries. You can search the catalog by filename or extension; export the catalog to an ASCII comma delimited file; and extract filenames from both ARC and ZIP files. Requires DOS 3. Newdex Bobo, Ronald $? is a simple disk file cataloging program. It reads disk directories and stores the data in a straight text file. -------------------------------- END OF SMALL PROGRAMS DISK #1148 -------------------------------- CatDisk 7.02 Hillier, Rick ASP $25 #27338/1277 [2 disks] (08-93 CD) catalogs files, including contents of subdirectories and archives. It has the capability to extract comments from archives files during the cataloging process; it can import comments from a text file, such as a bbs file listing. It can insert the resolution and color information for GIF files. Other features include two-sided printing of reports, support for 4DOS/NDOS file descriptions, ARJ and HYPER file support, mass-delete, and more. Diskcat Ford, Nelson ASP $40 #27338/591 is a floppy disk catalog program. It also allows you to add categories and descriptions. InteliCat 1.89b [INTELCAT] Little, Curtis $25 #27338/2741 (09-93 CD) (formerly LogiCat) is a very slick looking and fast disk cataloging program. Features include the ability to read hard disks, subdirectories, and archives; key word and comment fields; automatic disk naming; multi-level sorting; searching on text strings; displaying on screen or printer with search criteria and user defined formats. Drawbacks are a cumbersome method of changing drives to be read, inability to screen out types of files, and no option to print disk directory labels. The maximum number of files allowed appears to be around 5000. Comment listings from some BBS types can be imported, which is a big plus. EMS/XMS support is provided, and a hard disk is recommended. PMCat+ Scott, William C. ASP $25 #27338/2072 is a floppy and hard disk file cataloging and browsing program. It has Mouse support, context sensitive help, pick list windows, and the ability to read cataloged files, archived or not. It supports ARC, ZIP, ZOO, PAK, LZH formats and reads subdirectories. A Soundex capability for filenames is included. (Soundex allows you to search for names without having the exact spelling.) Other features include automatic sorting and save to disk for categories, the ability to retain category names, the ability to sort on Disk Number, the ability to change or retain disk numbers in catalog, and a routine to print the summary at the end of a printout. Requires 640k. QLib3 Creative Resources $25 #1424 is a menu-driven disk cataloging program designed for user groups to catalog floppies. Features include disk listing import, the ability to edit entries and more. Taxi! Dresser, Larry $23-$33 #27341/2744 is the "perfect" read-and-run program that we have been looking for all these years. It brings up a sorted directory listing of files to which you can attach up to 40-character descriptions, using the same format that 4DOS uses and which can be viewed in DOS with the TYPE command or with List, etc. You can view text files and run program files with a keypress. This is ideal for crowded UTIL subdirectories in which the purpose and/or syntax of a lot of programs are soon forgotten. Many file management features are included. (The author is no longer at the address provided in the documentation.) Memos&More JCK Enterprises $25-$40 #27341/2830 is what we call a Read-and-Run type program. It allows you to view files in a directory, including descriptions of each file which you can enter and save. It will also let you "launch" an application by selecting a data file to be used by that application, or run a program by selecting it, view or edit files easily with its built in editor, copy, move, rename, print and delete files and make/remove directories. It will also display two directories for easy comparison and moving/copying files between them. M&M is similar in nature to Taxi (#2744, above). Some differences are that Taxi uses one line descriptions of files and M&M allows up to 500 characters of description for each file. We prefer Taxi's method which allows you to see brief descriptions of a lot of files at once, since you can always pop up a description file of any length for more details, but this is a purely personal preference. Taxi is also the easier of the two to use, because it has a menu bar for accessing its features, while M&M requires you to remember "hot keys" or to scroll through lengthy on-screen documentation. Finally, Taxi's description files are 4DOS compatible. However, M&M is still a very worthwhile program and will be preferred by people wanting the longer file descriptions and the ability to compare directories. Disk Rak SOFTreat $25 #3859 is a floppy catalog program that is based on storage trays. Up to 1000 disks each in up to 1000 trays can be cataloged. Disk labels can be printed on standard mailing labels, 3.5" disk labels, and 4 x 1/4" disk labels. It includes the assigning of categories, titles and comments, record editing, browsing, printing capabilities, index reports, fast look-up, and more. Requires 384K and a hard disk. Diskmate 2.33 [DISKMATE] Key Software Services $22 #12465 (09-93 CD) is a disk file catalog program. Each disk read can be assigned a Box number as well as a disk number and volume label. This allows you to store your disks in boxes and easily locate a particular disk. Disk and file descriptions can be easily entered and edited. The contents of archive files are automatically read and can be displayed on screen at the press of a key. Disk directory labels can be previewed on screen and printed. Diskmate requires 1MB of disk space. DiskTrak Peninsula Software $15 #3860 helps keep track of disks. It creates a database with a list of disks, files names, free space, comments and more. It extracts files stored inside a ZIP, PAK, ARC, and LZH archive file. It labels disks, delete and/or restore any set of files in its database, and produce five types of hard and/or soft copy reports of its database contents. EZ-Disk Admiral 1.11 EZX Corporation $55 #3255 catalogs the directories of all of your disks, including hard disks. It will optionally catalog the contents of archive files. Data is stored in standard DBF files for easy access with any dBase compatible programs. However, EZDA offers a number of viewing, searching and printing options within the program. This is a nice program; unfortunately, testing it is made a pain by the author's use of "nusiance screens" that pop up for five seconds at a time at intervals - a "feature" found in many, if not all, EZX programs. FBNCat Miller, Larry D. and FBN Software ASP $25 #3127 is an easy-to-use disk catalog manager. It also supports the most popular archives. Requires 512K. OMNIDizk Unicorn Software Limited ASP $25 #3260 is a disk file catalog program. You may enter a 21 character title, a four-digit disk number, a three-character code and two lines of remarks up to 65 characters each. You can print labels and lists and search by name, description, date, title, disk number code, or remarks. It has support for 1-15/16" X 2-3/4" labels and a compatibility utility program for users of QEMM. PC-Catalog Andrews, Dale R. $20-$40 #2546 is a disk/file cataloging system. It is menu driven, mouse aware, and reads all types of disks. It also reads file names and descriptions from inside ARC, ZIP, LZH, PAK, ZOO, and can read LHarc and PKZip self-extracting files. EMS is used when available. It allows you to enter keywords and descriptions for everything, automatically add BBS descriptions, view files with any external program, and search for things in several ways including looking for duplicates. You can customize your report printouts and write to a printer or a disk file. If you try to print a complete catalog to either a file or the printer, it prints only a part of the catalog. A fix is under way, but meanwhile you can get around it by the following procedure: Find things Name [ENTER] [F5]. This finds everything, if you have enough memory; otherwise, you have to wait for the fix. PibCat Burns, Philip R. $0 #1544 is a disk file cataloging program. It lists all files in all subdirectories on a given disk, and also lists the entries in library files of the .ARC, .PAK, .MD, .ZOO, .LBR, .ZIP and LZH formats. You may indicate a match criterion for files, and you may suppress the library files expansion listing. Turbo Pascal source code included. QuickCat 1.01 [QUICKCAT] Micro System Solutions ASP $42 #2369 (11-93 CD) will quickly catalog, update, and query every file on all disks, diskettes, and CD-Roms. It can catalog all major archive types, and up to 60-character descriptions can be added. Disk directory labels may be printed for 5.25 and 3.5" diskettes. Software Susie II 1.2 [SUSIE] Lansford Software $25 #2497 (09-93 CD) will keep track of all your computer software. It is NOT a disk file cataloging program such as those that will read a disk directory and store the information in a file. It is a database program optimized for keeping track of of all the information you might possibly need about the software programs you own, such as serial number, vendor, publisher, related phone numbers, cost, etc. Several reports can be generated. While the author seems to be aiming this program at businesses that have lots of software to keep track of, it could be a very useful tool for pd/shareware librarians for distributors or user groups (even more so if there were an option to print the programs sorted by category). WSSIndex 5.27 Babcock, Robert W. $38 #2724 (10-93 CD) is a program for keeping track of files stored on floppy or hard disks. A database is created which contains, for all of your disks, the information normally available from the DOS DIR command, as well as optional comments and categories describing each file. The information in the database may be printed with various sorting options, or may be searched for specific file names with wild cards in case you don't remember the exact name of the file you are looking for. Additional functions include listing files without current backup copies; extracting directory information from ARC files; support for LBR, ZIP, ZOO, PAK, PKA, ARK, and LARC; the ability to extract comments from libraries; a database file splitter; a powerful text search option; mouse support; support for ARJ and GIF files and much more. ]]]]]